If you know Aldi, then you know that the German-based discount grocery store has been making big waves in the United States over the last few years. The store has its own brand of almost everything and tons of seasonal food specials. But what most Aldi locations also have is the magical, fun center aisle, full of red-hot deals, special buys, and limited-edition items that you just won’t be able to pass up! Known amongst dedicated Aldi shoppers as the “Aisle of Shame,” this fun place is having a serious social media moment right now, and we are here to tell you all about the trending hotspot located inside the popular discount grocery store!
Why You Need To Visit The Aldi Aisle of Shame
What is the Aldi Aisle of Shame?
The Aldi Aisle of Shame is what die-hard Aldi shoppers affectionately call the store’s center aisle. You won’t find grocery items in this middle aisle, though. The merchandise lining the shelves in the Aisle of Shame is typically non-food seasonal items, like candles, pet items, home décor, clothing, outdoor furniture, and tools, and even home appliances! These products, previously called Special Buys and recently renamed ALDI Finds by the grocery chain, change weekly, and are usually not restocked. So once the amazing-smelling fall-scented candles are gone, they are gone. There are entire websites dedicated to the limited weekly finds available in the Aisle of Shame. And because you never know what goodies you are going to find in the Aisle of Shame, each visit to the store makes me feel like I am unwrapping a present!
Why is it Called the Aisle of Shame?
When most of us go to a grocery store, we arrive with a list of items that we need. Sure, we may toss a few unnecessary items into our shopping cart, like a package of cookies or a new marinade flavor that sounds yummy. But some Aldi shoppers find themselves feeling guilty after buying things in the ALDI Finds center aisle—items that they may not necessarily need to have but want to get—and feel embarrassed by the frivolous purchases. The joke about the Aisle of Shame is that you’ve gone to Aldi to get milk and bread, but come home with lawn chairs, a novelty lamp, and a scratching playhouse for your cat! Aldi’s official title for this center aisle is the ALDI Finds section. But this treasure trove of rotating seasonal merchandise is affectionately called the Aisle of Shame by shoppers who love to talk about the impulse buys in the growing number of online communities dedicated to these special buys.
What is Aldi AOS?
Aldi AOS is the abbreviation for the Aisle of Shame. On social media, shoppers will frequently use the shortened “AOS” in posts boasting about the special seasonal items they’ve found. The Aldi AOS has also spawned lots of social media groups and websites dedicated to the center aisle— like Aldi AOS, Aldi Aisle of Shame, and Aisle of Shame. There are even Instagram accounts, like The Amazing Aldi, run by shoppers who faithfully document the new stock each week in the section.
What Does “Where’s The Ranch Dressing?” Mean at Aldi?
“Where’s The Ranch Dressing?” is a call signal from one Aldi shopper to another. This phrase was born out of The Aldi Nerd blog, started by a stay-at-home mom who started a blog to review Aldi products and share recipes. The Aldi Nerd Facebook community now boasts over 1.4 million members and is one of Facebook’s most active Aldi-related groups. If you ask another shopper “Where’s the ranch dressing?” and they reply with “where the deer and the antelope play”—yes, just like the “Home On The Range” song—rather than pointing you in the direction of the salad dressing, then you know that the other shopper is also an Aldi Nerd group member.
What Does “Caw Caw” Mean at Aldi?
We’ve all heard crows call out to one another with that distinct “caw, caw” sound. The members of the Aldi Aisle Of Shame community on Facebook have adopted the very same crow call to seek one another out in the store. The group’s members have even posted hilarious videos of themselves shouting out “Caw Caw” in Aldi as part of the Caw Caw Challenge to find one another.
What Does “Jesus Erin” Mean at Aldi?
It’s the table that sparked a hashtag. Over the summer, a popular ALDI Find was a wooden patio table. The coveted $169 table was so nice, in fact, that shoppers were bringing it inside their homes to dine at rather than relegating it to the elements outside. During her lunch break one day, a shopper named Erin picked up the beautiful table and posted in the Aldi Aisle Of Shame group that her husband wasn’t too impressed with her impulse purchase. Erin shared a screenshot of their text exchange, in which her husband declared, “Jesus Erin. We don’t have chairs.” The patio table was then dubbed the “Jesus Erin Table” and the hashtag #jesuserin has taken on a life of its own for when you do something scatterbrained—like purchase a new table for guests to sit at when you don’t have any chairs for them to sit on. FYI, the Jesus Erin Table is still available in some Aldi stores! Next, Which Stores Will Be Open on Thanksgiving Day 2021?
